Student
Visa
Requirements
to qualify to come to the United Kingdom to study
You
must show that you have been accepted for a course
of study at:
a publicly-funded institution of further or higher
education (for example, a university);
a private-education institution registered as
education provider with the Department for Skills
and Education (browse
the list); or
an independent fee-paying school;
and
that you are going to follow:
a recognised full-time course;
a course run during the week that involves at least
15 hours of organised daytime study a
week; or
a full-time course of study at an independent fee-paying
school.
You
must also:
be able to pay for your course and support and accommodate
yourself and any dependants
without working or help from public funds;
and
plan
to leave the United Kingdom when you complete your
studies.
If you are a visa national, you
will need a student visa to enter the United Kingdom. If
you are not a visa national, you will find it helpful
to carry documents with you which will show immigration
officers that you meet the requirements for entering
the United Kingdom as a student.
Extension
of stay as a student
If you are already studying here,
you can apply to extend your stay as a student for
a limited time.
If you did not enter the United Kingdom as a student,
you may apply to stay on for studies as long as
you are a non-visa national.
If you are a visa national, you cannot stay on as
a student unless you entered the United Kingdom
with a student or prospective student visa.
Application
for Student Visa
You will need to complete an application
form. Applications (except those for asylum and
work permits or under European Community law) will
not be valid unless they are made on the appropriate
application form. You can get copies of application
forms from this website.
If you are in any doubt as to which form you should
use, please telephone the Immigration and Nationality
Enquiry Bureau on 0870 606 7766.
You should send the completed form to us, by post,
before your permission to stay ends. The application
form will give you details of all the documents
you will need to send with your application and
where you should send it.
All documents should be originals unless you have
a good reason as to why you cannot produce them
with your application. We will not normally accept
photocopies.
Work
with student visa
You
may take part-time or holiday work but you must
not:
work for more than 20 hours a week during term time,
unless your work placement is part
of your studies and your education institution
agrees;
do business, be self-employed, or provide services
as a professional sports person or entertainer;
or
work full time in a permanent job.
Come
to the United Kingdom to arrange your studies
You
may come to the United Kingdom as a prospective
student to arrange your studies for up to six months.
You will need to show that:
you plan to enrol on a course of study within six
months of arriving;
you can pay for your course and support and accommodate
yourself and any dependants
without working or help from public funds; and
you plan to leave the United Kingdom when you finish
your studies or when your permission
to stay ends if you are not able to qualify
to stay in the United Kingdom as a
student.
If you are a visa national, you will need to apply
for a visa as a prospective student before you travel.
Registering
with the police?
If you have to register with the
police, we will stamp this requirement in your passport.
You must register within seven days of arriving
in the United Kingdom.
To register, you will need your passport and two
passport-size photographs. If you are
staying in the Metropolitan Police Area, you should
take these to the Overseas Visitors Records Office,
Ground Floor, Brandon House, 180 Borough High Street,
SE1 1LH between 9am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
If you are not staying in the Metropolitan Area,
you should contact your local police force for the
address and opening hours of other police registration
offices. You will have to pay a fee for registering
with the police.
You can get guidance
leaflets and information about visas from UK visas.
Please write to:
Visa
Correspondence Section
UKvisas
London
SW1A 2AH
United Kingdom.
General enquiries:
+44 (0)20 7008 8438
Application forms: +44
(0)20 7008 8308
Fax numbers: +44 (0)20
7008 8359/8361
Website:
http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk
